Polio Virus Found in Sewage Samples in London

The virus that causes polio was found in wastewater samples collected in London, the capital of England.

The UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) said in a statement that the virus was probably brought to London by someone who was recently vaccinated abroad with a live virus.

The statement warned that the risk is low but that parents should make sure their child is fully vaccinated against the disease.

British health authorities declared a ‘national situation’ upon the detection of the polio virus and reported the situation to the World Health Organization (WHO).

On the other hand, no polio cases have been detected in the country so far.

As part of routine practice for children in England, the inactivated polio vaccine is offered three times before the age of 1, then at the age of 3 and 14 years.

The polio case, which was common in the country in the 1950s, was last detected in 1984. Polio, one of the rare diseases, is defined as a disease seen in children younger than 5 years old and caused by the virus of the same name. The virus infects the spinal cord in one out of every 200 cases, causing irreversible paralysis. Between 5 and 10 percent of those who have a stroke die when their respiratory muscles are affected.